As #Trump’s motorcade arrived at court just before 9 a.m., a group of a few dozen people demonstrating against him blocked traffic. They stretched a banner across Centre Street that read “No One Is Above the Law.” They sang out, “Trump is not above the law.” Police monitored, & the demonstration was orderly.
The 12 jurors & 6 alternates were seated & David #Pecker resumed his testimony about #KarenMcDougal, a fmr Playboy model who said that she had a sexual relationship w/ #Trump. Prosecutors had saved the specifics of McDougal's story for today. It's an attention-catching way to start & the jurors are listening closely in these opening moments.
In the middle of the 2016 presidential campaign, #Trump called David #Pecker, publisher of The National Enquirer. The candidate was seeking advice about a fmr #PlayboyModel who was trying to sell her story of an affair w/him, Pecker told jurors.
Pecker suggested a way to silence the model, #KarenMcDougal. “I think that the story should be purchased,” he said he told Trump. “And I believe that you should buy it.”
Joshua #Steinglass, the prosecutor, is now asking #Pecker about a call he had w/ #Trump about #KarenMcDougal after #DylanHoward interviewed her. Steinglass is emphasizing Trump’s direct personal involvement.
Pecker testifies Trump described Karen McDougal as "a nice girl." Pecker said this conversation made him believe that Trump "knew who she was." Trump is stone-faced as Pecker talks about this conversation.
In addition to $150k for her lifetime rights, #Pecker says that #KarenMcDougal had a number of other requests, including being able to write for celebrity magazines, appearing on the cover of health & fitness magazines, & starting her own fitness clothing line & beauty product line. She also wanted to work as a red-carpet anchor.
#Pecker is now describing a 2002 conversation w/ #ArnoldSchwarzenegger where he asked Pecker not to run negative stories about him before his run for governor of California. He was ultimately elected & served from 2003-2011.
Pecker says that women did come forward about relationships that they had w/Schwarzenegger & he did not publish stories on them. One that Pecker passed on ended up in The Los Angeles Times.
The deal went above & beyond for #KarenMcDougal & included the hiring of ghostwriters to pen her stories.
#Pecker says that the contract was intended to stipulate that McDougal would perform "services" for #AMI, that there was a basis for the $150k she was receiving.
Pecker is asked if The #NationalEnquirer had any intention to publish McDougal's story. Pecker is blunt: "No, we did not."
This is pure #CatchAndKill.
#Pecker's last few minutes of testimony were key. He said that his company had disguised the #HushMoney payment to #KarenMcDougal as a deal for services she would perform for #AMI.
This is important for the prosecution's case:
They have to show that the #conspiracy that they accuse #Trump of participating in to win the 2016 election was conducted through "unlawful means." Pecker just indicated that it was.
#Pecker is now describing Trump's interest in obtaining boxes of material regarding #KarenMcDougal, saying that #Trump was worried about what would happen if Pecker got "hit by a bus" or his company was sold. Trump "did not want someone else to potentially publish those stories."
Pecker testifies that he was expecting to be paid back for the $150k he sent to Karen McDougal. This is a very important bridge to the third & final #HushMoney deal.
Because #Pecker had such a hard time getting #Trump to reimburse him, he was later unwilling to buy a third story, #StormyDaniels's story of having had sex w/Trump. Thus, #MichaelCohen bought her story instead, leading us straight to the #criminal charges at issue.
We still haven't reached the payment from which the #criminal charges themselves ultimately stem. But #Pecker's testimony about the #KarenMcDougal deal is important for the prosecution's argument about #Trump's intent: They argue that he was seeking to win the election through illegal means & the specifics of the McDougal deal help to bolster that argument.
Lots of evidence per the disguised monetary transactions related to the #KarenMcDougal deal. But most of the #jurors are still paying close attention, turning their heads from the prosecutor, Joshua #Steinglass, to the #witness, #Pecker, & back again.
Officials HAVE had preliminary discussions about how to protect the former president in the unlikely event that he is jailed for #contempt during the trial.
Prosecutors in Trump’s #criminal trial say he has violated a #GagOrder barring him from attacking #witnesses, #jurors & others close to the case. Testimony is set to resume later Tuesday morning.
Pecker was being asked about an infamous #NationalEnquirer story linking Cruz's father to the JFK assassination. He said it originated w/ #DylanHoward, The Enquirer's editor.
#Pecker said that after the #Republican#debates, #MichaelCohen would call him & direct him to focus the negative coverage on whichever candidate had been most successful.
Pecker's testimony isn't just damaging to #Trump. He’s killing his career by going through headline after headline & suggesting he attacked Trump's rivals to aid Trump.
Regardless of whether the story was true or not, the #jury was shown a #contract the #NationalEnquirer reached w/ #Dino Sajudin, the #doorman, in which the words "Donald Trump's illegitimate child" feature prominently.
#Steinglass asked Pecker why he paid so much for the story.
“I made the decision to buy the story because of the potential embarrassment it would have to the #campaign & Mr. #Trump," Pecker said.